Quality start, empty result: Cannon deals, but the offense doesn’t, as Sox fall 2-1 to Royals
Chicago’s late push just isn’t enough
Despite a strong pitching performance from Jonathan Cannon, the White Sox's offense sputtered for most of the night before a late rally agonizingly fell short.
Cannon found himself in immediate trouble in the first inning. Two singles put runners on the corners with only one out, threatening an early Royals lead. But the righthander showed composure, inducing a momentum-killing double play off the bat of perennial White Sox nemesis Salvador Pérez to escape the jam unscathed. He allowed three additional hits over the subsequent three innings, but Kansas City remained scoreless.
However, the dam finally broke in the bottom of the fifth. Luke Maile led off with a single, and two outs later, Bobby Witt Jr. did what he does and unleashed a bomb to left center, giving Kansas City a 2-0 lead. Following an uneventful sixth, Cannon's night came to an end after seven solid innings, marking his third consecutive quality start.
For once, the Pale Hose bullpen held it together. Caleb Freeman and Tyler Gilbert combined to hold the Royals scoreless in the final two frames. The defense also managed to recover after embarrassing themselves last night. Miguel Vargas made a stellar grab in the fifth inning, colliding with the shattered bat of Kyle Isbel.
Unfortunately for the Good Guys, the Royals' meager two-run cushion proved to be all they needed, as their bats remained stubbornly silent for most of the contest. They threatened briefly in the top of the second with back-to-back two-out singles from Brooks Baldwin and Josh Rojas, but they left both runners stranded. The White Sox looked to answer the Royals in the top of the sixth when Vargas laced a one-out double. Sadly, their familiar inability to capitalize haunted them once more, leaving yet another runner in scoring position. They were 1-for-7 with RISP on the night.
Down to their final three outs in the top of the ninth, the South Siders finally showed some life. Vargas led off the inning with his second double of the game. Luis Robert Jr. followed with a single, plating Vargas and finally breaking the shutout, cutting the Royals' lead to 2-1. Matt Thaiss kept the rally going with another single, putting runners on first and second with nobody out. Alas, the rally train derailed with a predictable thud as Andrew Vaughn went down swinging, Baldwin grounded out, and Rojas struck out looking.